World Bank official: men lead women in internet use, digital literacy

A gender gap still persists in Azerbaijan, with men surpassing women by 7% in internet use and by 5% in digital literacy, World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Stefanie Stallmeister said.

Speaking on the second day of the “StrategEast: State and IT Eurasian Forum 2025” in Baku, she noted that this is one of the challenges faced not only by the Azerbaijani government but also by many other countries, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

At the same time, Stallmeister emphasised that over the past five years, the level of digital skills in the country has grown significantly and access to the internet has improved.

She pointed out that government initiatives aimed at promoting digital literacy among various population groups have played an important role in this progress.

The World Bank representative also underlined that digitalisation contributes to job creation and has a positive impact on the economy.

“Improved internet access directly influences GDP growth. Estimates show that a 10% increase in broadband internet penetration raises GDP in Europe and Central Asia by 1.4–1.6%,” she said.

Stallmeister added that digital transformation and literacy are crucial in this regard and should be promoted not only in schools and universities but also through lifelong learning.

By Jeyhun Aghazada